Latch



Allg 14, l945- H. QUIGLEY ETAL LATCH Filed May 29, 1944 M ;QLQL HermanTerNeem nunfovs HerbarTQ Patented Aug. 14, 1945Y LATCH Herbert QuigleyVand Herman Ter Meer, Grand Rapids, Mich., assigner. to National BranCompany, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application May29, 1944, serial No. 597.820 4 claims. (Cl. 292-169) This inventionrelates to a latch to be secured at and within the edge portions of adoor, a cylindrical hole being bored inwardly from the edge of the doorto receive the latch housing vand the bolt mounted therewithin, and atransverse opening bored through the door across said cylindricalopening for the passage of the operating bar, to the ends of which,normally suitable knobs or equivalents for hand engagement areconnected.

Heretofore patents, Nos. 1,871,633 and 1,883,099, for similar latchconstructions have been granted. In the present invention, a simplifiedand more economical latch construction is produced and one in which theparts may be more easily and economically produced and assembled and ashortening of the over all length of the latch with consequent economyin manufacture and installation.

A preferred construction embodying the invention, and various otherobjects and purposes than those enumerated coming therefrom may beunderstood from the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. l is a horizontal longitudinal section through the latch of ourinvention.

Fig. 2 is a; longitudinal horizontal section through the outer latchhousing, the interior bolt mechanism being shown in plan.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section suba. cam to torce the head 8and parts connected therewith inwardly through the well known cam actionunder whichlatch bolts of this character operate. A cylindrical sleeve 8extends inwardly a short distance from the inner side of the head 6andadjacent its inner end is provided with diametricaily opposedoutwardly extending lugs 9 as shown.

Associated with the cylindrical portion 8 is a barrel of sheet metalformed in two semi-cylindrical sections I il, each at its front endhaving an outwardly extending annular flange il and at adjacent edgesbetween its ends being cut away to provide longitudinal slots I2 in theassembled barrel rto which the lugs 9 extend. Each of thesemi-cylindrical halves I0 of the barrel near its rear end has asemi-circular plate i3 secured therein by brazing, welding, soldering orother preferred permanent connection. A coiled spring I4 of lightstrength is located at one end against the two contacting semi-circularmembers I3 and at its other end against the inner end of the head 6,said springextending through the hollow cylindrical part 8 as best shownin Fig. 3. A heavier coiled spring I5 is located around the barrel,bearing at one end against the flanges at II and at the other endagainst the previously described stops or abutstantially on the plane ofline 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections onthe planes of lines 4 4 and5--5, respectively, of Fig. 2, and

Fig. Bis a perspective view of the inner latch bolt mechanisminsel-table at theopen end of the cylindrical housing therefor. i

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the diierent gures ofthe drawing.

In the construction, an outer housing or casing i of sheet metal ofcylindrical form has an inner ,closed end 2 and an open outer end withan outwardly extending annular flange 3. Near the inner end of Ithehousing or casing, .transverse circular openings d are made throughopposite sides thereof, and substantially midway between the ends ofAthe housing at opposed sides, the metal is slit and pressed inwardlyfor short distances, as at 5, to provide abutments 0r stops, .thepurpose of which will later appear.

Within this housing or casing the movable lartch bolt is located. Itincludes a head 6 with an inclined outer end or face 'I which, comingagainst a suitable strike on a door lamb, will serve as ments 5 (seeFig. 2).

At the rear or inner end of the barrel I0, a stirrup member of sheetmetal having two spaced sides I6 is provided which, at their outer ends,

f are formed with spaced inwardly vturned ears `Il which pass throughsuitable slots cut in the barrel sections I0, thereby holding themtogether at their inner ends in addition Ito the holding of said partstogether by the surrounding spring i5. The inner ends of the sides I6 of.the stirrup are connected by ran integral cross piece which is pressedand formed into a triangular shaped i cam as indicated at I8'. Suchinterior bolt structure when assembled is' readily inserted at the outeropen end of the housing or casing I until the inner end of the spring i5engages against the.

Aopenings 4. It consists of a bar I9, the intermediate pontion o! whichis shaped, as ai; 2l,

into a section semi-cylindrical in cross and at its inner sideconforming to the of the triangular shaped cam I I. which cam thereinupon release of the latch bolt and outward movement under the iniiuenceof springs il and Ii asshowninlllgs. 1,2 It will be apparent that thespring Il moves the head l outwardly until the lugs il outer ends of theslots at I2. and the connected therewith outwardly until the triangularshaped cam portion at I8 is received inthe recessofthepart 2loftheoperatingbar Il. Said bar Il may have at each end,.atthe outersides of a door, a knob or other conventional nand engaging membersecured thereto in the usual manner.

With this construction the length of the outer casing or housing l isdecreased over that shown in said previous patents, which have housingslmgthened in order to provide space for the heavier spring whichproiects the bolt therein outwardlytonormalposition. Theparts Ilofthebarrel are substantial duplicates, both easily formed and pressed fromsheet metal ss is also the connecting stirrup and the cylindricalportion I connected to the head t of the latch bolt. 'I'he retraction ofthe latch bolt for opening a door is by turning the operating bar Ilabout its longitudinal axis whereupon, through the cam action of thesection 2l engaging against the trlangulsr cam Il, the bolt is retractedwith a compression of the spring IS. Referring toll'ig. 3 it will benoted that when the latch bolt is retracted to its extreme position thetriangular cam projection Il has its pointed portion still projectingslightly across the openings at l so that there is always a stop againsta complete rotation of the operating bar. This is by reason of thepositioningofclosedend! ofthehousinginsuch proximity to the openings atl 'that the stirrup member is stopped against movement when it engagesagainst such end 2 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. In closing thedoor only the head t and attached part 8 are moved inwardly with acompression of the spring I4 which will yield and compress before anyforce strong enough to compress the spring il is generated.

The construction is practical and economical and its installation on adoor is simply a boring the cylindrical holes required, one te receivethe latch bolt housing l and the other for the passage of the transverseoperating bar I.

The invention is deiined in the appended claims and is to be consideredcomprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

We claim:

1. In a latch construction, a cylindrical housing having an open end andhaving inwardly pressed stops at its sides intermediate said ends, alatch bolt including a cylindrical barrel located within said housing,said barrel at its outer end having an outwardly extending flange, acoiled spring around said barrel between said flange and said stops. akeeper engaging head operatively associated with said barrel and havinga tele'- scoping portion extending into the barrel and a light springbetween said head and the barrel normally moving the head in an outwarddirecnon. i

2. A latch construction comprising a cylindrifingir ment thereof.

3. A construction having the elements incomportionofthestirrupheingformedintoatriangularshaped forwardlyextending cam. said housinghavingopposedopeningsthroughthesides thereofnear its inner closed end. and anoperattweenthesidesofslidstirrupmemberhavingan offset section providedwith a side conforming to said triangular shaped cam for retracting saidbarrel against said compression spring on turning the rod about itslongitudinal axis.

4. A. latch construction comprising, a cylindrical housing open at oneend and having a bottom at the other end and, intermediate its endshaving portions pressed inwardly te provide stops, saidhousingadistancefromthebottomendhaving transverse circular openingstherethrough, a barrel located within the housing, a coiledcompressionspringaroundthe'barrelbearingatoneend against said stops,said barrel at its outer end having outwardly extending means againstwhich the other end of the spring bears, a spring actuated bolt havingan inner end telescopingly reeeived within said barrel, a stirrup memberhaving spaced arms connected with the barrel adiacent the inner end ofthe barrel said stirrup member having a forwardly extending triangularshapedcamcrossmember atits innerend,andan operating rod passing throughsaid transverse openings in the housing and extending between the sidesof said stirrup member having an offset section provided with a sideconforming to said triangular shaped cam for retracting said barrelagainst the compression spring on turning the rod about its longitudinalaxis, the bottom of the housing being disposed in sumciently closeproximitytotheopeningsofthebarrelthatwhenthe stirrup member is movedinwardly until it engages the bottom of said housing the forwardportions of said triangular shaped cam extends a short distance forwardof the rearmost portion: of the openings through the housing to providea stop against the operating bar turning beyond a predeterminedposition. being stopped on its turn. ing movement by engagement againstsaid forward projecting portion of the cam cross member HERBERT QUIGLEY.HERMAN TER MEER.

